'Olivia never stopped working. It was hot and humid, but she showed strength and was a dominant midfielder throughout the tournament,' said team coach Mark Bailey.

'She's been playing a lot of hockey in Perth, and that showed,' he added.

The 16-strong SAR squad included two Hong Kong secondary school students - Katie Mountain (Island School) and Kate Wong (Sha Tin College), as well as ex-KGV pupil Sarah Shuttleworth - now at school in the United Kingdom.

Seven are studying at overseas universities. 'Christina Lind [a student in the UK] was excellent in left midfield,' said Bailey.

'Katie and Kate were used as substitutes and when they came on, they did their jobs, they did fine,' said the coach.

Sandra Frankland - another former KGV pupil now studying at the University of Bath in the UK - scored 14 goals in the competition, including six in a 12-0 thrashing of Thailand.

'The women's hockey youth development programme has reaped its reward. This is the result of 10 years of careful work,' said Bailey.

'Island School PE teacher Adrienne Glancy has been an important person in the development of these players. It was great for her to play in every match in Singapore - be part of the result of her work,' he added.

Organising the team for this tournament took some planning. 'Overseas players flew back, others took time off work, and the school students fitted around their studies,' he said. 'Everybody's commitment was huge. It was a massive team effort.'